Nationalist Congress Party leader Sunetra Pawar on Tuesday assumed charge as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. She has been assigned the departments of State Excise Duty, Sports and Youth Affairs, and Minorities Development and Auqaf. Before taking office, Pawar visited the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple in Prabhadevi to offer prayers. Several senior leaders and dignitaries were present, including NCP MPs Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra State Womens Commission Chairperson Rupali Chakankar, Parth Ajit Pawar, Shri Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple Trust Chairman Sadanand Saravankar, and others. She also paid tribute to BR Ambedkar.

The post of Deputy Chief Minister had remained vacant following the death of Ajit Pawar on January 28, after a chartered aircraft crash landed in Baramati. His personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two pilots also lost their lives in the incident. Ajit Pawar last rites were conducted with full state honours on January 29 at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, where his sons performed the final rituals. Following his demise, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took charge of the Planning and Finance portfolios that were earlier held by Ajit Pawar. Sunetra Pawar was also elected as the NCP Legislative Party Leader.

A Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Sunetra Pawar is widely recognised for her work in sustainable development, environmental conservation, and rural empowerment. In 2010, she founded the Environmental Forum of India, a non governmental organisation focused on promoting environmental awareness. She has led grassroots initiatives related to biodiversity conservation, protection of endangered species, water management, and drought mitigation.